St. Boniface Down - Welcome to the Isle Of Wight St. Boniface Down The highest point on the Isle of Wight. With stunning views and a history going back centuries, St. Boniface Down is not to be missed if you love views, walks and the countryside. It is an area designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and boasts the largest cricket within the British Isles, the Great Green Bush Cricket. You can also see the remains of the old radar station that was bombed during World War Two. Stunning views Highest point on the Isle of Wight What is it? It's a chalk down. The highest point on the Isle of Wight. And a great walk. Where is it? You can park at the Landslip car park near Bonchurch or drive up to it from Ventnor.

For your Sat Nav: St Boniface Down St Boniface Down 42: South-East England & the Isle of Wight County/UA: Marilyn, Hump, Tump (200-299m), Historic County Top, Current County/UA Top, Administrative County Top, SIB no feature: natural ground inside outer security fence Drop: (1:25k) OL29E Observations: ground near car park 550m ENE at SZ 57277 78653 on E ring contour may be as high; ground at bend in road (SZ 56735 78548) is probably lower Survey: Isle of Wight (1974) administrative county top Isle of Wight historic county top Isle of Wight current county/UA top This page uses the Ordnance Survey OpenSpace API which does not include Explorer (1:25000 scale) mapping. Show/hide GPS File for mountains/markers shown Show/hide GPX File for mountains shown Logged Descriptions (logged by 202 users) By Date of Ascent Got lost getting here, found old railway station site!

Parked by trig point and walked along ridge to end of radar site fence. Highest point is inside secure radar area. Fantastic sea views from up here, worth doing as part of long hill walk. Nick Drove up and a wander around johnjennison 24/09/2016 drove up to trig piint, walked sround the enclosure & found a point (at east end of enclosure..nr the viewpoint) that seemed to be the highest acessible point...1m less than official top but close enough I guess keithelliott 02/08/2016 With Jackie, Mï¿½iri and Andrew via Luccombe Down. Waved the Isle of Wight flag on the summit. mikejacobs Walk around the radio station peak with Helen, Josh, Lucy & Molly. JohRvs 13/07/2016 With party from HF Guest House, Freshwater Bay House. From Godshill via Worsley Obelisk. Along perimeter fence that encloses the summit area of St Boniface Down. Return to Godshill via Wroxall.

pwbellarby 02/05/2016 Walked around the perimeter fence of the radar station and bagged the alternative top near the car park. webmaster 19/04/2016 Drove to first view point along road and walked up to and around perimeter fence. Left it to the last day of our holiday as weather had been hit and miss, thankfully rain held off whilst up there. Stormcrow 04/04/2016 10/10 Last of many on the mainland and the island....(Devils Dyke/West Hill Boundary/West Hill/West High Down/Tennyson Down/Headon Hill/Harboro/Brighstone Down/St. Catherines Hill/St. Boniface Down) Fergalh Parked by trig, walked around the perimeter fence. tim747 CreakingHiker 02/02/2016 Well that's my 'Historic County Tops In A Year' completed...

I visited the two 'alternate' tops and stared at the official summit 98 metres away through the outer security fence and resisted the temptation to squeeze under the gate to the West (possible for the slim and supple). Storm Desmond was wreaking havoc up in the North - just very very windy on the top of the down. I was going to add Tennyson Down and the Needles - but the wind got stronger and I was not sure it would be entirely safe. Leave that for next year. M3WDD Wandered along the security fence. 'Old' coordinates much easier to get to. Newton Maximus 05/12/2015 Ran up and down the hill at 6:30am whilst staying in Ventnor for work. chilly blustery start to the day with great views out to sea. Swindon Bagger 22/09/2015 Little to be said of this. Summit close to perimeter fence. Drive to small car park containing trig point and walked along road from there. bowlesy Not my first ascent but my quickest on a bike!

grcorbin CalTudor 19/08/2015 Nansen Hill up to St Boniface Down, around the radar station, down to Bonchurch and along Coastal Path to Botanic Gardens. Fred Windsor 15/08/2015 Road all the way to the top, highest point probably on private land around masts. Went on to viewpoint at Bonchurch down, great spot, lovely and peaceful. Bagged with Nicky, Emily, Joe, Tom & Ziggy. fnem A stroll around the dereliction after driving up. Play2End With GFE and Bertie Brompton Fionalevey 05/05/2015 Walked up from Church on road to old station, then by stepped path to the road leading to summit. No access through gate or fence to highest point. Buteobuteo 31/01/2015 From The Landslip parking area on the A-road to the E.

Route and write-up at: Gayle 26/01/2015 From Wheeler's Bay Road (free) car park, along the sea path, through Ventnor and onto the path at Ventnor Farm. Steep climb and then very pleasant walk along Wroxall Down. Past the trig and through the fence (there are many opportunities for this) - take your pick about the high point - human intervention or no. Carried on along Bonchurch Down, steep descent via smuggler's path back to the sea. There is a lovely little tea house at Wheeler's Bay a great place to finish. callumorr 12/08/2014 When leaving Ventor on the Wroxhall road turn right down Down Lane. Easy to miss this turn off. Car parking area adjacent. moorsman Pleasant stroll from Landslip car park to east. citygent 05/06/2014 On a day trip to the Isle of Wight so we just drove to the top. The cloud was down so no views. We just opened the car door and stepped out. One small step for a ticker and a great leap for Mindless Flogging Kind!

Is this the easiest Marilyn in the book? mindlessflogger mcallmar 04/05/2014 Day trip to IoW. Parked at first trig, walked around fence. Stroll out to glorious Shanklin Down trig and back. Lovely views. nordicstar 14/04/2014 From the parking area by the trig point, walked to the high point up against the fence by the bend in the road ï¿½ Continued along the road and rough track to the car park (excellent view of Sandown Bay) ï¿½ Walked over a couple of hummocks just to the west of the car park. (Solo) gerrybowes 11/02/2014 County top No.46. Circular walk from holiday flat in Ventnor via Bonchurch Landslip, Nansen Hill, St Boniface Down and back to Ventnor. Fine views over Luccombe to Culver Cliffs and the mainland beyond, on a delightfully sunny and warm mid-January day coming after the all the winter storms. Temp 8 deg C. Very muddy across Bonchurch Landslip, but apart from that the path was fine.

Distance 5.1 miles, time 2:22, climb 1100 feet. alan.65to70 Up Nansen Hill and around the radar station. squeegs 03/09/2013 After visiting the summit the previous day by car we walked here from Wroxall before heading down to Ventnor, the landslip and the outskirts of Shanklin before returning to Wroxall. St Boniface Down is an interesting place with plenty of military history. G4OBK (Phil) Passed over summit on a circular walk from Wroxall with G4OBK (Phil).

judy55cat walked with bonzo on a day trip - lots of brambles and good views mr bounce LighthouseSarah 01/09/2012 Day trip from Ruscombe(Reading) to Southsea then Hovercraft across to the Isle of White (ï¿½16 return)then got day rider ticket(ï¿½10)caught bus to Ventnor then walked to the summit lovely clear day with great views Jim BHMC 26/08/2012 Mike Fudge completed for the 2012 Morris Lubricants 'County Top' Challenge for the TCT. Also completed by Steve Reading September 2012. morrislube 21/08/2012 Abandoned car in east Southsea, got the catameran to Ryde, train down to Shanklin and walked/bike from there. Given grid ref is man-made embankment just inside compound guarded by high barbed wire fence. Higher point appears to be on top of earth/grass topped room some 20 meters to west with easy access through decayed fence/open gate.

Father Ted pterre 23/07/2012 Rode up from the chip shop. faffed about in car park and over the fence and elsewhere. Eddie 17/07/2012 Walked up from the Landslip car park, up Nansen Hill, along the road and downhill into Ventnor. Not much of a view. Overthehilljill 13/06/2012 Parked on street at 558773 12:05) & walked up through town to 561778, then steep path N to summit track and along to top. Cont. round enclosure and down S ridge of coombe back to town and car (13:40) dbb Whilst on CHA IoW hols johnoz Dry, warm, calm, average views in thin mist, sunny/good views 15m below top! iangalbraith 10/11/2011 Walked here from Wroxall, Geocaching and Trig Bagging. Nice to visit the top of the IOW, but not overly exciting other than that.

Chingwakabungya 10/08/2011 Drove up from Ventnor, parked at trig pint and walked up the road a bit to the bend, not a satisfying hill at all. No idea where the exact summit was. isabelle softsquare 22/07/2011 Revisited 13 Apr 2015 gaining access to the NATS compound. Got up to the fencing on S side of compound, very close to the HP, if not on it. jonglew with Jamie on a day trip from Lymington vegibagger 16/04/2011 Biking trip around Isle of Wight with a small detour to this summit. A horrible weather with strong wind and heavy rain. (On the news the same evening a Kite surfer had jumped over the Brighton Pier. Says all about the wind conditions this day. NilsOS 12/11/2010 Drove up to the parking area next to trig. Highest spot further up road perhaps, or man-made feature inside the fenced area.

Aye Jimmy Climbed on: 5/6/10; With: hb Ian Baines 05/06/2010 6/8 marliyns today on quick afternoon trip to IOW - if you go home via Yarmouth by the cheapest ticket for your return and it will effectively be an open ticket gigglejon With Clare, Eire, Evan, Sail, Danu & Coel. Dangerous Dave Climbed prior to a stay in Ventnor. marktrengove petey 17/04/2010 from Ventnor then across the downs before dropping down to the coastal path to Shanklin and Sandown, good morning's walk. asbown 18/11/2009 From sea level at SZ 563 772. Main compound impenetrable - fence looks recently repaired. 'Bagged' the highest lump at SZ 566 784 - 100m from the trig pillar - jut within a ruined fence. summitsup 04/11/2009 From Salisbury YH. Glorious day, great Ferry trip Soton-E Cowes.

M/c to Ventnor. Thought Car Park access rd berm looked highest outside wire. Access easy thru outer fence, site deserted, so hopped over inner & walked site. Very little natural left.Grand v martin & storm 25/09/2009 Pleasant circular walk from The Landslip to E. Easy access though holes in fence & open gates to W half of compound, but E side is secure. Felt high point could be anywhere on plateau, but did my best to visit a few likely bumps. Interesting summit this wheresthepath St Catherine's Hill, Kingates, Niton, Coastal Path, Whitwell Road, Ventnor Mac.Hawk 05/07/2009 A BIG cheat as we drove up mainly in search of the beautiful Adonis Blue and didn't realise we'd actually bagged a marilyn at the same time. We did see the Glanville Fritillary nearby though. Skerryvore Steep climb up hill when staying in Ventnor. Wandered round edge of fenced compound. prwild 15/03/2009 Mound inside looks man made.

Pity trig isn't the top as all the rest has the hand of man all over it. From the car park to the W the fence is in poor condition - but then there is an inner fence with no breaches. destaylor 13/12/2008 My last English (and Welsh) Marilyn. Had finished Wales on Bardsey and loved it. This was a slight disappointment because despite the great name, the fine setting it was spoiled by the man made mess. Martin R 16/08/2008 Gates of Radar Station open - stood on mound just inside, which is clearly the high point. Views to the French coast, as well as spotting wild bluebells, a woodpecker, wild goats, wild ponies and the first swifts of spring. denzil53 03/05/2008 High point may be behing the fence of the radar station but there is a mound behind the other fence which is about the same.

clivevilla 27/04/2008 Picking up trigs on my first trip to the Island nice and easy for proximity but fences prevent official access to the highest point Rhayader_wander 04/02/2008 Forth HUMP of six today, wall to wall sunshine on day off from FMD Guildford. Access from Down Lane, Ventnor. Highest non man made point is outside security fence next to bend in road. Did go thro'fence but higher manmade point inside Radar Station fence Dugswell2 m1eyp 06/08/2003 Birthday summit - the top of the Isle of Wight - the walk from Ventor was pleasant - but the summit fences marred the top. chinnock 16/02/2003 Day trip / adventure by hovercraft and using 8 local buses and legs linking the 2 island Marilyns and 4 'Clems.'A steep climb up from Ventnor for this one. Chris Pearson Galltywenallt 09/03/2002 Parked at the Landslip car park.

Dropped down to below the 150m of ascent mark by using the steps to the coastal path. Very quick ascent to top. Visited all potential bumps outside compound before striking lucky as a man came to tend the sheep so manged t garyhoney Many times on IOW trailquests Nutmar 01/08/2000 Date is first visit. Notes from later...went to highest point of fence; I reckoned [summit] was just behind the building, under one of the masts but had no means of verifying this. It's quite flat in there. A lot of the bumps around the edge are old air raid shelters, etc (cWatson 11/6/00). road adjacent RHW highest point outside of CAA perimeter fence Denise With Dad. Walk from Shanklin Station. My last of Bridge's County Tops. mikejacobs Cannot get to top because of radar installation. arranc Home Page - Home Page Where are we? Ventnor Bowling Green nestles under the foot of St. Boniface Down the highest point on the Isle of Wight. The tree-covered hill shelters the green from northerly winds but still allows plenty of sunshine from the south.

The Official Website of Ventnor Bowling Club The famous old Macrocarpa pine tree which is well over 100 years old, with the tree-covered slopes of St Boniface down in the background. MITCHELL AVENUE, VENTNOR, ISLE of WIGHT, PO38 1DP Telephone 01983 855490 Ventnor Bowling Club, the oldest club on the Island, was established in 1886. The Bowling Green is just above the town of Ventnor, approximately 330 feet above sea level, and about half a mile from the sea front. The English Channel can be seen above the town's rooftops from the southerly end of the clubhouse. The Club is situated on the B3327, the main bus route from Ventnor to Newport & Ventnor to Shanklin, Sandown and Ryde. The No.3 bus runs half-hourly in both directions and stops right outside the clubhouse. For a few more photos (?) and a report please click the above link.

Photographs of Club Matches Click for Photos of Summer Club Games Outdoor Facilities THE OUTDOOR GREEN is normally laid out with 6 rinks, but an extra rink can be added if needed. The green is 35 metres square and rink directions are alternated daily - North-South or East-West. The green is normally open from early April to the end of September, and is available for public play between 10am and 5pm every day, providing there are spare rinks. Light refreshments are normally available to the public. All competitions, league matches, county competitions, etc., will take presidence over any public use. The green is professionally maintained by a qualified contractor all the year round and over the years the Ventnor green has earned a reputation as one of the best on the Island. Indoor Facilities VENTNOR IS THE ONLY BOWLING CLUB on the Island with a full-length indoor rink within the clubhouse and from October to March is in use seven days a week. Monday to Friday, mornings and afternoons, are used for the Winter Triples League, whilst the evenings host the Winter Indoor Fours League.

Weekends are set aside for the Winter Knockout Competitions, whilst Monday nights are reserved exclusively for beginners and improvers - a facility that makes Ventnor the envy of other clubs. In the summer months the carpet is completely boarded over to provide a large, unobstructed area which can comfortably seat up to 100 people. The Club has a fully-equipped kitchen with a food hygiene rating of 4, where meals for approximately 80 people can be prepared. There ia also a well-stocked bar, with reasonable prices, to satisfy everyone's tastes. Affiliations Ventnor Bowling Club is affiliated to Bowls Isle of Wight and will enter the following teams in 2016: Men's Saturday Leagues: 3 Teams. Men's Afternoon League: 1 Team. Ladies Midweek Leagues : 3 Teams. Island Mixed League: 2 Teams. The Club enters all County Competitions. Click for . Ventnor Bowling Club is affiliated to Bowls England and usually enters teams and individuals in most National and Regional Competitions.

For more information on Bowls England visit Dakota Istle of Wight - Page 4 St Boniface Down & Radar Station, Ventnor, Isle of Wight Please treat the area with respect. This is on National Trust and private land. Should you wish to visit, please keep to the footpath. It is the highest point on the Island. Please do NOT leave the public footpath and respect the site. The site today - the NATS radar station and the site of the old chain home wartime radar post that was a central part of the air defence of Great Britain. This was 'Ventnor Radar' of Battle of Britain fame. The Dakota impacted at the foot of one of the old bunkers forming the base of the famous aerial arrays used during the War. Most of the wreckage came to rest much further up the hill at the very highest point on the island straddling one of the internal roads on the RAF site. You can just make out the bunkers between the two right hand towers - this is the crash location. The original wartime chain home radar towers were removed in 1957 although the site remained an operational radar station. The final resting place of the wreckage is on private land and access must be with the land owner's permission.

There is nothing of the plane left - the site was left untouched for a long time. Then every last scrap of wreckage was cleared away by the authorities. There is no reason to visit the actual spot although you can locate the impact point by walking around the seaward side of the site perimeter fence. There are some signs of the initial impact lower down the hill below the path. Apart from different style concrete fence posts and a shallow depression below the footpath there is nothing to indicate the tragedy that took place on this spot. This illustration shows Ventnor Chain Home radar station about 1945. Although the towers were no longer standing in 1963 they had only recently been taken down. Previous to this accident, a mail plane had collided with one of the towers and crashed, again in fog. The Channel Airways crash occurred adjacent to the far set of masts and the wreck came to rest straddling the perimeter track to the left of the public road . During the war the radar station was a vital link in the defence of Great Britain. It enabled the RAF to locate incoming bombing raids and determine the height and number of aircraft. This enabled British controllers to vector fighters to intercept the raids when they approached.

The alternative would have been to have standing patrols flying all day and night which would have put an impossible strain on resources. As it was there were nearly always fighters ready to intercept raids because they could be dispatched in time to meet the attackers and directed to them rather than having to search a vast area of sky. The Germans realised that radar was a fundamental part of the British defences and tried desperately to destroy the sites early in the Battle of Britain. Being the furthest outpost, Ventnor was singled out and heavily attacked. The Nazi bombers did succeed in putting it out of action for a short time by dive bombing, but mobile stations were quickly moved into the area to fill the gap. As the transmitters were not damaged, although the receivers were, the decision was made to keep sending out radar pulses. As the Germans did not fully appreciate how our system worked, they decided that despite the apparent damage they had failed to achieve the desired results because the station appeared to be still ‘on the air’ and gave up further attacks on British Radar. This simple deception had a major effect on the outcome of the Battle.

In fact Radar was only part of an integrated information system that fed details from various sources including the Royal Observer Corps, Chain Home and Chain Home Low radar systems and various other sources. It was the combination of details that enabled fighter controllers to build up a detailed picture of the situation and to send just sufficient forces to deter the attackers. By husbanding resources and placing the minimum number of British fighters at the best location for defence ( usually ! ) rather than having to commit huge numbers to face every possible threat, Fighter Command was able to survive against much greater opposing numbers. Ventnor Radar - about 1945 Picture courtesy of ‘NATS’ - this particular illustration was pinned up in the Station Manager’s Office at Ventnor Radar for many years ! Isle of Wight Nostalgia Site: Island facts Isle of Wight Nostalgia - Island Information Geography: The Isle of Wight is almost the smallest county in the country (after Rutland). It measures 23 miles from east to west, and 131/4 from north to south, giving a total area (including inland water) of 94,146 acres, or 147 square miles.

The Island is divided into two boroughs - Medina & South Wight, with Newport as the all-Island capital, although Ryde is the largest town. Derivation of name: The Romans called the Island Vectis. In the Anglo-Saxon chronicle it is Wihte ealond, Wihtland or Wiht, followed by further variations of the spelling in the middle ages, such as Wicht, Wict, Whyht, Wyght and Wight. The derivation cannot be established with certainty but the name is probably of British origin and may be connected with the Welsh gwaith (work) the Latin Vectis (lever) which share a common root . It has been suggested that Wight could mean what has been raised i.e. above the sea. Rivers: The Island's three main rivers are the Medina, the East Yar and the West Yar. All the three flow north and drain into the Solent or Spithead. West Wight is, in fact, almost an Island in its own right, since the West Yar rises only a few hundred metres inland from Freshwater bay. Location & height: The exact centre of the Island is at Shide Corner, on the south-eastern outskirts of Newport.

Latitude - 50° 41" north, Longitude - 1° 18" west. The highest point is St. Boniface Down at Ventnor, which is 240 metres (787 feet) high, although generally speaking the highest ground extends from Culver Cliff to Tennyson Down above the Needles, as an east-west alignment of chalk downs which straddle the Island. Roads & footpaths: There is a total of 477 miles of roads on the Island, an almost as many miles of footpaths & bridleways made up of 1,400 separate public rights of way, including a number of officially designated long distance trails. Climate: One million people spend their holidays on the Isle of Wight each year. South Wight in particular is blessed with an almost sub-tropical climate, and Sandown & Shanklin regularly top the British sunshine league. The mild climate allows a variety of unique trees and flowering plants to thrive including the pyramidal orchid which is the Isle of Wight's county flower. This orchid can grow up to 24" which would make it a great centrepiece for Avas Flowers arrangement.

Population: The Island's resident population is around 120,000 - 68,000 in Medina Borough and 52,000 in South Wight. Yet, it is said that if the entire population of the world stood shoulder to shoulder, they would all fit into the Isle of Wight - but only just! Southern Vectis would be able to increase their service level! Motto & coat of arms: The Island's motto is All this beauty is of God the arms or crest depicts a horse and seahorse symbolising agriculture and the maritime which have supported and conditioned Island life in so many ways. Royal associations are represented by a castle on a shield, and the insular nature of the Island is suggested by waves of the sea lapping the base of the arms. Dialect & vocabulary: Owing to its geographical isolation, the Island's local dialect was once particularly rich. with its own vocabulary. But easier communications, beginning with the Victorian railways, caused it to gradually disappear. Nevertheless, Caulkheads (born on the Island - technically 3rd generation or better!) welcome the Grockles (visitors), and Overners (residents not born on the Island).

Red Squirrels: Red Squirrels find the environment especially to their liking, the Island being almost the last bastion for them in the south of England. It is popularly supposed that grey squirrels drive out the red variety. But greys tend rather to move into Red territory which - for reasons yet understood - the red squirrels have already vacated. Nevertheless, the Solent forms a protective barrier enabling the red variety to flourish. Geology - coloured sands: Geologically the Island can claim a virtually unique characteristic in the coloured sands of Alum Bay. Caused by various minerals in the sands, the strata are nowhere as diversely tinted as at Alum Bay. Moreover, their perpendicular nature bestows a compactness on the feature not found elsewhere - with the exception of Whitecliff Bay in the east of the Island, which forms the opposite end of the formation. Dinosaurs: Parts of northern North America, Australia, China & the Isle of Wight all exhibit examples of the Wessex Formation from the lower cretaceous period, but the Island yields the world's best preserved and most varied dinosaur fauna for this phase.

Brook in the west and Yaverland in the east exhibit fossil remains which are not represented as well elsewhere. Newtown, the rotten borough: In the hamlet of Newtown, on the coast between Yarmouth & Cowes, there is a classic example of a Rotten Borough. Once a flourishing port, it sent two members to parliament until the Reform Act of 1832 stripped it of its right. All that remains of Newtown's former status is the Town Hall, now a property of the National Trust Lord of the Island: The lordship of the Isle of Wight originated with the grant of the Island to William FitzOsbern by William the Conqueror. The last hereditary lord of the Island was in fact a lady - Countess Isabella de Fortibus, who succeeded to the lordship on the death of her brother in 1262. Having been widowed in 1261, she became the wealthiest non-royal lady in the kingdom.

Isabella lived in style at Carisbrooke, guarding intact all her rights and privileges as feudal overlord of the Island, until in 1293, having no surviving heirs, she sold the Island on her death bed to Edward I for 6,000 marks. Parkhurst & the Poor Law: The Island has a rather unfortunate claim to fame in that it was the first place in Britain in which the Poor law system was tried. The experiment began in the House of Industry at Parkhurst which was erected in 1770, and succeeded by a later building in 1887. Today, of course, Parkhurst is renowned for different reasons (as a famous high security prison)! Unique species of butterfly: Amidst the enormous variety of wildlife, the Island can truly claim its own unique species in the Glanville Fritillary butterfly. Reddish-orange in colour, it lives along the southern edges of the Island, feeding on the common plant Ribwort Planting and has black caterpillars with spiky hairs which can be seen in May. Attempts to introduce the species elsewhere have failed, ensuring the butterfly remains an Island speciality. St Catherine's Oratory: The Pepperpot on St.

Catherine's Down on the southern tip of the Island, is an ancient example of a lighthouse technology. Dating from about 1320, it was erected by Walter de Godeton as an act of penance for plundering wine from the wreck of St. Marie of Bayonne in Chale Bay. Fires were lit in the tower to warn shipping away from the dangerous shore below, and to this day the Oratory serves as a seamark. Click to view pictures / diagrams . Celebrities: Some artists, celebrities & entertainers who have connections with the island: Sheila Hancock, comedienne and actress; Ian Bannen, actor; Brian McDermott, actor; Tony Meehan, Shadows guitarist; Cephas Howard, Temperance Seven; Jeremy Irons, Craig Douglas, Mark King (world renowned bass player) Roland & Phil Gould, actor; Cliff Michelmore, television personality; Lonnie Donegan, David Icke, erstwhile television sports presenter; Snowy White, pop singer; and three of the members of the pop group Level 42, Mark King, Phil and Boon Gould.

Celebrity Visitors: And finally a few famous visitor celebrities: Bob Dylan, John & Yoko Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, & finally if not of their own choosing, the Kray brothers! Famous islanders & visitors: See the people page. Chines: Chine is the local name for a feature where a stream has cut through solid rock. The Island has many examples on its south-eastern & south-western shores. Chines appear very different. Some, especially on the south-western shores are barren, while others (for example Shanklin Chine) are rich with exotic vegetation in the unique microclimate. List of chines:- Shanklin, Luccombe, Blackgang, Walpen, Whale, Shepherd's, Cowleaze, Barnes, Marsh, Chilton, Compton - there are other minor chines. Six to Eight Wonders: The Island used to boast six wonders; however I have recently heard of an additional two! Needles you cannot thread Lake you can walk through and stay dry Ryde where you walk! and two newer wonders...

Newtown which is old Highest Points: 12 - St Boniface Down, Isle of Wight - 22nd October 2012 12 - St Boniface Down, Isle of Wight - 22nd October 2012 On the ferry to the island My 11th high point is St Boniface Down, on the southern part of the Isle of Wight it is just 18 miles from my house and one of the more local high points but it proved to be a bit more difficult to get to. Joining me today was Nat, then Andie once we reached the Island. To get to the island we chose to take the Passenger ferry from Portsmouth to Ryde and set off ready to catch the 10:40 sailing, arriving nice and early we walked down to the ferry only to find out that the 10:40 ferry had been cancelled, now ferry cancellations are a common occurrence and we had check the website to see if there were any cancellations but they had failed to advertise this change so we had 45 mins to wait to catch the next ferry.

After a walk to the Co-op and a bit of a wait near HMS Warrior we made our way back to the ferry to get our tickets, £34 later (yes £34 for 2 adults to travel a total of 10 miles) we had our tickets and boarded the ferry for our 15 minute trip to Ryde. The weather crossing the Solent was pretty foggy, there was nothing to look at during our trip and when we arrived at Ryde Pier Head we couldn't actually see land, just the pier stretching out into the fog ahead of us. We found Andie waiting for us at the entrance of the pier and we piled into here little car for the 25 minute drive across the island, we drove from Ryde, thro Brading, Sandown, Shankling and then on towards Ventnor. Our original plan was to park just outside Ventnor but the car park was closed due to roadworks so we carried on down into the town and parked in the town car park instead.

The fog, look out for zombie pirates Leaving the car park we walked along the road and up some very steep steps to another road, then along to the start of St Boniface Down, when we passed through the gate onto the downs we were presented with a decision, either left or right, Nat was heading left but looking at the map this path just led back down towards the town, where turning right meant going up the hill, so we went right and up the hill, first following a wall then climbing steeply, and then even more steeply, it was near impossible to climb but we managed and came out onto some open land. We followed the contours of the hill for a while and saw a sleeping fox not far away, he woke up and ran away but was nice to see, after this we worked our way up the steep hill and through the ferns eventually coming out at the top path, this path ran alongside a fenced off area, the location of several radio masts and the location of the highest point on the island, we walked along this path a while and took some photos, we didn't stop for too long as the view was non existent, the fog was so thick we couldn't more than a few tens of meters.

Rob, Nat and Andie on St Boniface Down Shortly we started to make our way back down the hill, this time following the path towards the west end of Ventnor, we were hoping to see some of the feral goats which the area is known for but sadly they were hiding today. We soon went through a gate and were back in civilisation where it was a short walk back to the car park. Once we reached the car park we had all decided we were hungry so continued down through the town and onto the seafront where we walked along the promenade to the Spy Glass Inn where we all had a fantastic Lunch, I had a Cheddar and Stilton ploughmans, Nat had scampi with chips and Andie had a cheese and coleslaw jacket potato, It was all very yummy and highly recommended. Once lunch was finished we headed back to the car and then Andie very kindly drove us back to Ryde Pier where we managed to catch the ferry through the thick fog back to Portsmouth. It was an excellent day with excellent company and I hope to do it again sometime soon when its not so foggy. Thanks to Nat and Andie for joining me on the adventure today.

Posted by St Boniface Down - Wikishire St Boniface Down The radar station on the summit of St Boniface Down Isle of Wight 50°36’12"N, 1°11’55"W St Boniface Down is a chalk down on the Isle of Wight , Hampshire , and that island's highest point, at 791 feet. The hill is close to the town of Ventnor , in the southeast of the island. There is reputed to be a wishing well on its southern slope, which requires the wisher to climb up from the south without looking back. In 1545 a French invasion force attempted to secure the heights of St Boniface Down against a force of the Isle of Wight Militia commanded by Sir John Fyssher, which allegedly included several women archers, and were routed. In 1940 the radar station on the hill was bombed by Ju-87 Stuka dive bombers, which is reconstructed in the film "The Battle of Britain". The top is surmounted by a round barrow.

At the eastern foot of the down, on the A3055 road between Bonchurch and Luccombe , a path descends into Bonchurch Landslips by way of a scenic rock cleft, the Devil's Chimney . Wildlife St Boniface Down is the home habitat of the largest cricket found in the British Isles , the great green bush cricket. The area includes some unusual plant communities including acid grassland and heathland, resulting in parts of the Down being designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The gravel capping supports extensive tracts of gorse Ulex europaeus with intervening areas of heathland and acid grassland dominated by heather Calluna vulgaris, bell heather Erica cinerea, purple moor-grass Molinia caerulea, bristle bent Agrostis curtisii and locally bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus. The occurrence of heathland on deep gravel overlying chalk, the naturalised holm oak woodland and the juxtaposition of heath and chalkland vegetation are all unusual biological features in Britain. [1] Cultural references St Boniface Down is the name and was the inspiration of a 1956 work by the composer, Trevor Duncan.

Question: St Boniface Down is the highest point of which British island?
Answer: Isle of Wight